Process of casting steel car-wheels



Patented Sept. 8,1891.

ZZZZZi/Z' 191M ardq Wa'in ewes ans co. wow-mum, msmuamn o c UNITEDSTATES I PATENT OFFICE.

YVILLIAM G. RICHARDS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICANSTEEL \VHEEL COMPANY, OF NEV JERSEY.

PROCESS OF CASTING STEEL CAR-WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,048, datedSeptember 8, 1891.

Application filed April 11, 1891. Serial No. 388,439. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes of CastingSteel Car-Vheels, of which the following isa specification;

This invention relates to the manufacture of steel car-wheels by themethod of casting, the object being to furnish a method wherein themolds are overflowed in the casting oper ation for properly freeing themold of impurities and the feeding of the rim of the wheelcasting.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a plan view of the mold. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionthrough the mold, showing the metal overflowing over the hub-spacethereof. 3 is a similar view showing the metal overflowing at therim-space of the mold after the overflow of the hub-space has beenchecked. In this view the mold has its middle portion, which is over thehub-space, of less elevation than the surrounding portions that are overthe .rim.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures.

For carrying my improvements into effect I may use the mold describedand claimed in my application, Serial No. 358,657, filed July 14, 1890,said mold being the same, substantially, as the mold shown in thedrawings forming a part of this application. The mold consists of or mayconsist of the nowel 8, the chill 10, set on the nowel, and the cope 11,set on ,the chill, substantially as indicated in the drawings, andhaving two sets of vents or overflow-passages, one set 30 being over thehub space, while the other set 32 is over the rimspace of the mold. Theusual cores, comprising the arch-core and the central core 52, aresuitably fixed in the mold in the usual manner. In the nowel there isformed a runner 12, extending along under the mold beyond the hub-spacethereof and connecting with the hub-space through connecting-channels13. The mold is filled through a pouring-head O, attached to one side ofthe mold at or near the base thereof and having its Fig' channel 1.2connecting with said horizontal runner 12. The pouring-head 0 extends toa point somewhat above the top of the mold, so as to obtain sufficienthead for causing a rapid flow of metal into the mold. For a moreparticular description of these several features of the mold in theirpreferred form reference is made to my aforesaid prior application.

In carrying out my improved method I pour the metal into the moldcontinuously from the beginning to the end of the pouring operation, andwhen the mold is properly constructed therefor the metal will overflowthrough the hub-vents before the rim is entirely filled and before thefeeding of the rim is entirely finished. That result is obtained bymaking the set of hub-vents 30 to have a less resistance than therim-vents 32, their position and distance from the moldfilling passages13 being considered, and this may be accomplished by suitably graduatingthe size of the respective overflow-passages 30 and 32. The molten metalbeing poured into the pouring-head enters the mold at the under side ofthe hub-space, and therefore naturally fills the central part of themold most rapidly until it overflows the freer hubvents 3O 30,in themeantime flowing outward through the plate-space 7 of the mold, and at alater moment rising through the rim-vents 32, and finally overflowingthe rim. One stage of this operation is illustrated in Fig. 2, where themetal is shown at 30 overflowing the hubvents 30, while the rim is onlyjust filled and not yet overflowcd. At this moment, during the pouringoperation, the workman suddenly checks the overflow at the hub-vents,which may be done by means of a chill, as 25, Fig. 3, placed on theoutflowing metal over said vent. This chill by suddenly abstracting heatfrom the overflowed metal instantly checks the overflow, so that after avery brief time the chill maybe removed. Later in thepourin g operationand as a sub-process therein the rim vents are suddenly checked, therebybringing the full pressure of the head of metal onto the rim for thefeeding of the same after the plate-spaces and hub-space are fullyfilled. For checking the rim-vents the same chill 25 may be used as forthe hub-vents, or, if more IOC convenient, a separate smaller chill, as26, Fig. 3, may be employed, this being used by the same or by anotherworkman.

The overflow at the hub is an important aid to the making of soundwheels, since it tends to dislodge and carryout of the metal certainimpurities; but it is detrimental to the later feeding of the rim.Accordingly during the pouring operation and after the hub-overflow hassufficiently proceeded I check the hubvents, and thereby direct themomentum of the moving fluid mass toward the rim, thus giving to themetal an impetus which materially promotes the effectiveness of theoperations of filling and feeding the rim by more perfectlythrough-flowing the plate-and-rim juncture after the hub-space is filledand the plate has begun contracting.

Another feature of myimprovements (shown in Fig. 3) consists inconstructing the molds with the middle portion 20 of the cope of lesselevation than the surrounding portions 22 22,-which are over the rim,thus making the hub-vents of less height, so that a copious overflow issecured from the inner series of vents before the outer part of the moldis completely filled. By this means more time is obtained between thechecking of the huboverflow and the commencing of the rim-overflow. Inpractice this feature enables the workman to accomplish the desiredresult with less haste, and consequently in a more efiect-ive manner,insuring a more thorough washing out of the upper and central part ofthe mold.

2. That improvement in the art of casting steel car-wheels whichconsists in forming the mold with top vents arranged in two sets, oneset being over the hub and the other over the rim, pouring the mold tooverflowing, checking the hub-vents after the overflow, and continuingthe rim-overflow after the checking of the hub-overflow.

3. That improvement in the art of casting steel car-wheels whichconsists in forming the mold with top vents arranged in two sets, oneset being over the hub and the other over the rim, pouring the mold tooverflowing, checking the set of hub-vents in advance of the other andduring the pouring, whereby an additional impetus is given to theoverflow at I the unchecked vents, and then checking the set ofrim-vents while continuing the filling of the mold, thereby directingthe momentum of the stream of metal to the feeding of the rim.

'WILLIAM G. RICHARDS. Witnesses:

CORNELIUS DONOHUE, FRANK MAHERN.

